On May 13, 1970, two special stamps were issued in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) for the 25th anniversary of broadcasting in the GDR. The two stamps were printed as a pair. The 10 Pfg. has shortwave antennae in front of a globe incorporating the emblem of Radio Berlin while the 15 Pfg. shows the Berliner Funkhaus (broadcasting centre) and the emblems of Berliner Rundfunk, Radio DDR and the German transmitters.
In connection with the unification of the two German states, the Berliner Rundfunk ceased its transmission in February 1990. Three million composite print pairs were issued. The error can be seen on the 10 Pfg. stamp – there the inscription on the left edge of the stamp reads ‘RADIO BERLIN INTERNATIAONAL’ instead of ‘RADIO BERLIN INTERNATIONAL’. So an extra letter ‘A’ has been incorrectly added. The error passed through all the quality controls – even though the word “International” translates the same into German. The mistake was probably made by the artist responsible for the stamps, M. Gottschall from Karl-Marx-Stadt, and was simply not spotted. The postal administration of the GDR did not withdraw sale of the stamp with the error.
